As far as City are concerned, they can't lose. They chuck money at the best prospects and hoover them up with promises of money at a young age which most other clubs can't compete with, they have them for a while, sift out the wheat from the chaff, and then sell on a good few of them for a few million each with low buy back clauses inserted in case they develop at other clubs more than they think they will, and the others they just let go. The millions they bring in from flogging the 'good prospects but not elite' to other clubs more than pays them back for the initial expense of hoovering up all the top talent at a young age. The best ones they keep. When they have the money it's a fairly easy game for them to play.